Windrush pensioner's passport cancelled 3 times in 'punishing' 40 year Home Office battle

A Windrush pensioner says helium has had his passport cancelled 3 times and his beingness "halted" for 4 decades portion warring with the Home Office.

Augustin Castang, 68, who arrived from St Lucia to the UK astatine the property of three, says helium was near 'dumbfounded' aft archetypal being told helium was nary longer a British national erstwhile helium tried to renew his passport portion visiting Canada to spot if helium wanted to unrecorded determination permanently successful 1982.

Forced to enactment arsenic a busboy successful Toronto, helium spent much than fractional his beingness having his passport accepted past rejected which felt "like a stab successful the heart."

During this time, Augustin says helium mislaid interaction with friends, portion his dreams of moving for British Airways were dashed.

Augustin said: "[The Home Office] treated maine similar a portion of meat. They tin cancel my passport anytime they desire."

The 68-year-old says helium desperately wrote to The Queen who tried to help, portion helium claims that his erstwhile Tottenham MP David Lammy told him helium couldn't assistance him due to the fact that helium "didn't unrecorded present anymore."

In 2018, helium was yet told the crushed wherefore his citizenship was taken distant was due to the fact that of migration laws which came into effect erstwhile St Lucia gained independence.

Now, since the Windrush ungraded emerged exposing however radical from the Commonwealth countries were wrongly detained and stripped of their rights arsenic British citizens, Augustin has applied done the Windrush scheme.

However, aft 2 rejections from the Home Office, helium was lone granted indefinite permission to participate the state and yet to remain, but inactive has not been granted a UK passport.

Mr Castang said: “[When I was told I wasn’t British], I was dumbfounded. I didn’t cognize what to say. All of a sudden, the passport you’re holding has nary validation.

“People inquire maine wherever my accent is from and I don’t cognize who I am, I don’t cognize wherever I came from. My parents ne'er talked astir St Lucia. Even now, radical accidental say that I haven't mislaid my [British] accent.

“I don’t consciousness Canada is my home, I’ve struggled with this identity. They made maine stateless without telling me.”

Augustin says that aft being told helium was nary longer a national of the UK successful 1982, helium inactive held his physically British passport portion successful Canada.

He says helium decided to instrumentality a accidental and usage it to instrumentality to the UK, and to his surprise, helium says helium was allowed done the border.

The 68-year-old said: "I showed them my passport and they said, 'yeah, nary problem, you're British and ne'er took my passport away. "

Augustin says helium tried to sojourn the Home Office to yet resoluteness the contented but that determination were "queues of radical going circular the block" and that helium decided to spell backmost to Canada and sojourn the British embassy determination instead.

But erstwhile helium arrived, helium says that they took his passport which hadn't expired and and stamped "cancelled" passim it.

Augustin said: "That was a stab successful the heart. I became a existent introvert. I didn't cognize who to speech to. I didn't cognize wherever to inquire for help."

The pensioner says helium decided to use for Canadian citizenship truthful that helium would beryllium capable to question arsenic his British passport had been ripped from him.

During decades of feeling incomplete portion the combat to person his passport reinstated weighed dense connected him, Augustin says helium adjacent wrote to The Queen and went to question assistance from MP David Lammy.

Augustin said: "I wrote to The Queen, and The Queen forwarded my accusation to the Governor General successful Canada and the Government General wrote to maine saying they don't woody with migration matters.

"I went to David Lammy. I told him due to the fact that I utilized to unrecorded successful Tottenham and I spent my aboriginal years successful Tottenham but helium said, 'you don't unrecorded present anymore.' I expected amended and thought helium would privation to assistance but, no."

In 2010, Augustin says helium had a breakthrough erstwhile helium was issued a passport aft visiting the UK passport bureau who helium says confirmed helium was a British citizen.

But days aft securing the individuality papers helium had fought respective years for, helium was shocked to person a missive stating it was being revoked again arsenic it was fixed “in error" which helium says near him "speechless."

Augustin said: "My aunt told me, 'there's a missive for you from the Home Office', saying that they've cancelled my passport. I didn't cognize what to do. I was speechless. I was aggravated thinking, 'why are the British doing this? What did I bash wrong?

Now, implicit 40 years later, aft applying done Windrush scheme, Augustin inactive awaits a British passport.

While quality of the fictional cartoon quality Paddington Bear receiving a genuine British passport from the Home Office was “an insult", helium says.

He said: “I can’t recognize wherefore they would walk the clip and effort to deliberation this is truthful important. People’s lives person been halted due to the fact that of the Home Office not putting successful the effort to assistance us.”

A spokesperson for the Home Office said: “It is simply a longstanding authorities argumentation that we bash not remark connected idiosyncratic cases.”

David Lammy has been contacted for comment.